May 04 2010

Are You Using Your Correct Eye When Photographing?

Photo Tip Tuesday - Determine which is your dominant photo eye that you should be shooting with.

Okay many of us take this one for granted. However, in a recent class, a student asked me “which eye am I supposed to look through the camera’s viewfinder with?” The answer is – your dominant eye. We all have one eye that’s stronger than the other, or that we prefer more than the other.

Not to worry, your eyes aren’t going to have to battle it out for superiority or anything like that. Believe it or not, there’s a very easy way to determine which of your eyes is your dominant photo eye. This one was learned at a Boy Scout camp. They taught my boys which eye was their dominant while learning archery. I’m not sure if they wanted to improve the boys accuracy or prevent any boy-scout-kabobs. Probably both.

Here’s how you do it:
• Extend your arms out in front of you with your palms faced out
• Bring your hands together to form a small triangular hole
• Look through this hole at a fixed object across the room
• Keep looking at the object with both eyes, through the triangle hole
• Slowly pull your hands to your face, still looking at the object
• Bring your hands all the way back to your face
• You just discovered your dominant eye

If you’re left eye dominant and use a DSLR camera you have an added secret weapon, as I have never seen (although I’m sure there must have them) a ‘left-handed’ camera. If you’re shooting with a DSLR, the secret left weapon is this – you can twist your body slightly to the right, look through the view finder with your left eye and rest the left side of the camera body against your left shoulder. This will give you added stability and allow you to shoot at slower shutter speeds hand-held. Sorry righties, this is hard to do on the right side of your body with the shutter release also on the right side.

Use your newly discovered dominant eye for viewing through the camera’s viewfinder. It’s most likely the eye you use naturally, but now you know why. It will also work anytime you need to use just one eye, like with a telescope, being a pirate on halloween, or lining up pictures on a wall. By the way, if your vision through the camera viewfinder seems blurry or unsharp, be sure to adjust your camera to your eye.

Which eye is your dominant eye? Is it the eye you’re already using, or not? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Photo Tip Tuesday ~ If you have a photo tip or would like to have a photo question answered, send me an email. Also be sure to subscribe for free to this blog to receive ongoing great photo tips and inspiration!

by Kent Weakley

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michaelMay 4 - 11:04 am

I am left dominate but have been trying to find a way to break myself of it. I have an eye decease called KC for short and my left eye has reached a point where I can no longer focus, near or far. I rely heavily on autofocus but during long exposures or night shooting where I may need manual focus and macro work I am stuck. Simply switching to the right is harder than it seems, I can’t seem to compose as well with my right eye. Seems funny but it’s a challenge.

And no glasses and contacts do not fix the problem, my left eye is legal for driving purposes but not much else. Life is a blur and specular or bright lights are now painful. Seems I’m in the wrong profession as a graphic designer, marketing, and commercial photographer but I’m too far along in my career to change to something requiring poorer sight like a politician!

Chris RidleyMay 4 - 5:35 pm

I did this, turned out to be my right eye, even though I use my left eye with my DSLR!
Weird….

Alan Clarke PhotographyMay 7 - 4:18 pm

Curiously, I have just tried this and I am right eye dominant but have used my left eye ever since I picked up a camera, infact it feels un natural to use my right eye.

Barbara ChandlerJune 11 - 1:58 pm

Great tip about the shoulder. & I have always automatically used the left eye without even thinking about it…but just done a quick check, and yes, using the right eye is really weird, and would take a lot of getting used to. Fascinating stuff.

Our Nifty NotebookJuly 2 - 7:36 pm

This is funny, I never even thought about my left eye when taking pics.

ReligionbitesAugust 10 - 4:04 pm

I discovered I was left eye dominant during a weekend-long photo shoot of wrestling. My right eye was tired so I decided to try my left. It was so much clearer. Your test confirmed it. I feel more at ease now that I’m using my left eye.

RichieAugust 22 - 11:46 am

It seems like I am supposed have a 3rd eye in the middle.

Kent Weakley Reply:
August 23rd, 2010 at 6:01 am

LOL! Maybe your eyes are perfectly balanced and can’t decide which is in charge??

GeorgeSeptember 3 - 2:50 pm

Looks like I have been using the wrong eye forever. This showed me I am right dominant but I have always used my left for the viewfinder (I am also left handed).

john_spinhirneSeptember 3 - 4:24 pm

I have always used my right eye for everything, about two months ago someone showed me that my left eye is my dominaant eye. So now I am using my left eye 90% of the time for photography, I still default 10% of the time. I still need to try this with other things, but thanks for the tip.

john

PaulSeptember 19 - 2:10 am

Great tip, I normally shoot lefty but with this test it seems I’m right dominant. Seems I have an excuse to shoot more now to try out my right.

candICEfotozSeptember 19 - 11:35 am

Oh wow…been using the wrong eye this whole time! Didn’t realize I was left-eye dominant. I gotta get use to that. Thanks for the tip!!

garykSeptember 26 - 6:34 pm

Thanks for the tip, I have been using the wrong eye. Turns out I am left eye dominant and resting the camera on my left shoulder is very helpful.

DianneSeptember 30 - 11:19 pm

I’m right eye dominant, which I think I pretty much knew. However, I do occasionally use my left eye when shooting. Not real often, but probably 15-20% of the time.

But here’s a question for you. Have you ever had your eye “stick” (for lack of a better word) after you’ve been looking through the view finder? Like it won’t focus correctly or something? It’s kind of hard to explain and it’s very strange when it happens. I’ve only had it happen a few times, but it’s annoying. When it does, I switch to my left eye.

Kent Weakley Reply:
October 1st, 2010 at 3:51 am

No I haven’t heard of this. Do you mean the viewfinder looks blurry? Perhaps it has something to do with the dioptric adjustment? >http://kentweakley.com/blog/adjust-camera-to-your-eye/

ChuckOctober 23 - 12:54 pm

Well, in film days I was right eye dominant because it gave me more room to actuate the film advance lever. Rotate right hand up and I was in good position for portrait mode and still able to advance the film easily. Once I got a motor drive, and later a DSLR, I’m firmly LEFT eye dominant.

MaryanneNovember 6 - 7:22 pm

All this time I’ve been using the wrong eye. Seems I’m left eye dominant and not right. Awesome article its good to know little things like this )

TrudyDecember 4 - 6:34 pm

What am I missing in the directions? I’m still able to look at the object with both eyes the whole time, even with my hands touching my face… is my triangle too large or am I supposed to pick one eye or the other to bring my hands to? (and in that case, how does that tell me my dominant eye? It just tells me which one I’d bring a camera to…)?

Kent Weakley Reply:
December 6th, 2010 at 11:39 am

Make your triangle smaller. Relax your arms (and your head) don’t think about it too much. At first you should be seeing the object through your hands with both eyes. As you pull your hands back to your head you will, subconsciously or perhaps physically because of your eye dominance, bring the triangle to your dominant eye. Once you have done this, your other subdominant eye will most likely be covered by one of your hands. Let me know if this helps.

NicolasDecember 28 - 12:11 pm

I’ve tried it with a big/medium/small triangles and all of them resulted between my eyes, I’ll send the camera manufacturers a letter to make double-view finders! I’d have to pay for two lenses though u.u

Kent Weakley Reply:
December 29th, 2010 at 10:25 am

Perhaps your eyes are so perfectly balance that you can use either one. Interesting!

JoannaJanuary 16 - 2:54 pm

My left eye is dominant.

JorgeFebruary 12 - 6:22 am

wow just did the test, i use my left eye, but also realized, when i use my left eye i can keep my right eye open, and if i try to use the right one i have to close the left one, i think its also interesting to hear if you close your other eye when you take pictures

Richard HaberMarch 22 - 11:02 am

I learned that I was left-eyed this way from a target shooting instructor a while back and it improved my aim so that I didn’t miss all the time!

I shoot with my left eye now despite the fact that my nose is really in the way and presses against the LCD. I guess that’s why they make microfiber cloths…

nioApril 5 - 5:42 am

I know this is exactly the point of the exercise, but if I want to look at an object with both eyes through the triangle, I have to make the triangle rather large, otherwise I know I have to choose one eye right from the start.

When I try this I get different results; sometimes my right eye, sometimes my left. Maybe it’s because I already know how it affects the outcome.

Roel VinkesApril 5 - 9:47 am

Nice, turned out that my left eye is the dominant one. And I always use the right one.
So turns things around now and get an twopod for free! Me!

Tks.

xxlApril 28 - 7:41 am

somehow i cant look through both eyes at one object when my arms are extended.
Either I use the left eye (then it turns out that my right eye is the dominant one) or i use the right eye (then it turns out that my left eye is the dominant one).
You will recognize the problem if you wink left/right when your arms are extended..